"Jeff Grippe" jeff@door7 wrote in message
...

"Edward Dolan" wrote in message
...

I am only interested in being interesting and stimulating. I leave
"considerateness" to others who have only that to offer.


Well then there are those who will continue to call you a troll (I realize
that you don't care or perhaps even embrace the title).

Your stated reason for me to follow the holy quoting guidelines has been
that it would be considerate to other readers. I don't see how you can now
say that you don't care about it. If you don't care about being
considerate then stop telling me how to post.

I am only concerned about being considerate to other readers in a technical
sense. If they have problems with the content of what I say, then that is
their problem, not mine.

Interesting and stimulating without respect for others ultimately is
neither (or is only interesting and stimulating to you). Who cares if you
can stimulate anger among your fellow useneters? That isn't so hard to do.
As I've said before its like pushing a button. You already know that if
you say certain things you will provoke a response. You're not actually
making a point, however. By being rude and generally inconsiderate of
others you are not getting them to consider the merits of whatever
argument you want to make.

I want to make others think ... in other words, to stimulate their
intellects. I want to make folks question certain assumptions. Is war always
a bad thing, or are there good wars? Is the present war a good war? Should
we hate Arab militants or not? Is Islam a benign religion or is it an
abomination? What are we to think of liberals who hate war and will not
defend our country against those who would do us harm.

I don't care if I come across as rude and inconsiderate. I most especially
do not care about coming across as friendly and neighborly. I leave that
aspect of human behavior to others. I want to rile things up and cause some
unease.

When I first came on this group several years ago, it was a cesspool of
liberal rants and snide remarks about Bush and the Republicans. That is no
longer the case thanks to me. Now if anyone wants to post their liberal
nonsense, they will encounter me and a happy time will not ensue. That is
the price we pay to have some fairness here on ARBR.

So once again you have "provoked" a "properly formatted" entirely
predictable response out of me. But if you don't actually make the attempt
to be where I am and give me something of substance so that I can get to
where you are then you have done nothing interesting and the stimulation
has been wasted.

At this point, I really don't care when you insult me. I don't give it any
weight. It doesn't mean that I won't keep trying to bring you back from
the dark side of the force. It just means that I don't take it personally.

When you actually make a coherent argument (which you sometimes do) you
can be quite interesting to talk to. It is probably the reason that I
continue to talk to you. It isn't like I expect to win you over to my way
of thinking.

My simple statement of fact which you quoted at the beginning of your
message brought on your last three paragraphs above? I had no idea I was all
that simulating!

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota